30 Minutes and Counting
by p.davenport
Summary: FBI hostage negotiator, Emily Prentiss, has a job to do... she must save Financial Analyst, Jennifer Jareau. Spoiler Alert: Eventual Emily/JJ.
1. 1

The sun reflected brightly off her aviators as she stepped out of her black SUV. She squinted in the sunlight, taking in her surroundings. This place was a mad house at the moment. Police officers and FBI Agents alike were lined up, surrounding the small building, guns drawn simply waiting for orders.

"Agent Prentiss!"

She looked to find a flustered young man who seemed unable to stand still in the frenzy. "You are?" She raised a single eyebrow over her sunglasses.

"Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid."

Emily Prentiss looked the young man over. To her, he looked barely old enough to be out of school, let alone old enough to be a doctor. She shrugged, whatever. "Okay so… Reid?"

"Yes Ma'am?" He nodded expectantly.

As she shut the car door, she spoke. "I need two things from you." Emily started walking toward the crowd of law enforcement officers. The young agent ran after her and before he could ask she spoke again. "First, I need you to calm the fuck down. And second, give me the god damn run down already."

Spencer Reid was taken aback at first by the tall brunette woman's language and attitude. Sure, he had heard the rumors about the uptight and bitchy Emily Prentiss, but experiencing it now he was most definitely surprised. "Uh… uh…" he stumbled over his words as he jogged to keep up with the woman's fast-paced walk. "Right. So. We believe the suspect goes in to rob the place, someone triggers the silent alarm, and he then gets caught in this mess. It is also believed that there are four hostages in there."

Emily looks at him, no expression on her face. "Get me Special Agent Aaron Hotchner." She pulled on her tight Kevlar vest and quickly strapped up as Agent Reid ran to find his boss. He came back moments later, followed by a tall handsome man.

"Prentiss," the older of the two men greeted Emily.

"Hotch." She nodded with the slightest hint of a smile. "How long has he been in there?"

"30 minutes and counting."

"Have you tried to negotiate yet?"

"No Prentiss. We were waiting for the best to start the negotiation."

This time the smug smirk on her face was evident. "Alright. Then get me connected to this guy."

…

**-Two Hours Earlier-**

Jennifer Jareau, or JJ, as her friends called her, was running late. So late. "Henry please hurry! Mommy's gonna be late again."

Just then a little blonde boy, no older than three, came running out of the house. "Sorry Mommy! I couldn't find Blanky!"

The woman couldn't help but smile at her adorable son as he climbed into his car seat in the back of the car. "God forbid we leave Blanky!" JJ exclaimed.

As soon as her son was safely buckled in she pulled out of the driveway and drove at a faster speed than the speed limit sign suggested. On her way she speed dialed number two in her phone. "Hello?"

"Megan! I'm running late and I'm trying to cut down as much time as I possibly can. Could you meet me outside and get Henry so I can get to work?"

"Of course I can!" The young woman on the other end of the line answered.

JJ sighed in relief. "Oh thank you so much. Thank you! I'll be there in like five minutes."

"Anytime Ms. Jareau."

Four minutes later JJ pulled up to the curb where Henry's babysitter sat waiting. "Ok, Henry Baby, I have to go fast. I'll pick you up at five. I love you Little Man."

"Love you too Mommy!" The little boy replied getting out of the car with help of the young brunette babysitter.

"Thanks again, Megan!" JJ called, driving off before the girl could respond.

She pulled into the parking lot at 9:06. Six minutes late. "Fuck!" She exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel angrily. "There goes that promotion you wanted, JJ. Good one."

Quickly she let herself into the bank, checked on things in the lobby, and continued on to her office. Maybe her boss wouldn't notice. It was only six minutes. Six minutes wasn't hurting anyone, right? They didn't open until 9:30 anyway. Shaking it off, she went to her paperwork.

Shortly after 9:30, opening time, a tall slender man walked in sporting a handgun. "Sir, you aren't allowed to be here," the oldest teller spoke.

He displayed a large grin on his face as he made his way to her window. "Good to see you too, Mary." He leaned in slightly and pistol whipped her right there. She quickly fell to the ground. He turned around and called out loudly, "Oh Jennifer!"

JJ heard the voice and froze. "No. No. No." She mumbled as she pushed the silent alarm under her desk. Slowly, she got up and exited her office to the lobby. "Will."


	2. Chapter 2

-Current Time 10:07 am-

The phone rang so many times that Emily was sure the suspect was not going to pick up the phone in the bank. "Fuck it," she thought as she put down the phone.

She turned on the earpiece she wore in her left ear and dialed her best man. "Derek Morgan at your service. What do you need Princess Emily?"

Suppressing a chuckle, Emily spoke quickly, "Morgan, do you have an ID yet? Work some computer magic here, boooyfriend."

"I have a face from the cameras in the bank, it's running through my facial recognition software now, baby girl."

Emily smirk. "Good work, D. I'm gonna try to get him to negotiate here. Once you or I get a name, feed me all the information you can on him."

"Yeah, yeah I know the drill, girl." Emily could almost see his eyes rolling through the blue tooth.

She again picked up the phone and redialed the bank. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," she silently chanted. Nothing. She tried again. And again. And a fourth time.

"WHAT?" A male answered angrily.

"Sir this is Special Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI…" The line went dead before she could finish her sentence.

She was not going to give up easily. She called again. "I don't want to talk to you, lady!"

"Oh, but I want to talk to you Mr… I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Will! It's Will. What do you want from me, Bitch?"

"Well, Will firstly I want you to use my name. Call me Emily," she spoke slowly, stalling for the sake of Derek Morgan searching for a Will. "And I also want you to tell me how in the world you got into this mess."

"I just want my boy!" He yelled in a southern accent.

"Your boy?" Emily asked so Morgan could take a kid into consideration with his searches.

Seconds later, before Will spoke again, Morgan WOO!ed in excitement. "Got it baby girl. A William LaMontange Jr was released from jail this morning. He was put in there about three years ago for beating his pregnant girlfriend, Jennifer Jareau. And this Jennifer happens to be the financial analyst at the bank."

"Yes my SON!"

The angry man's shouts brought Emily out of her thoughts. "That's no reason to show up at Jennifer's work with a gun, Will."

"She hid him from me! Fucking bitch won't tell me where my son is!"

"What's your son's name?"

"She named him Henry. His name is Henry."

"Okay, let's think about Henry for a minute, Will. I don't think Henry would like to see his daddy yelling at his mommy while holding a scary gun, do you?"

There was a long pause. She knew she was getting to him, starting to talk some sense into this man. "Yeah, he's only two and a half. I don't want to scare him, but I want to see him. Can you just get him for me?"

"You know I can't really do that while you're holding four people in there at gun point."

"What if I let them go, even JJ," he offered lightly. "I just want to meet my boy. Please."

Emily sighed silently. "How about I call my contacts and I call you right back when they go out to find Henry?"

"When you call, I'll let three people go, ok? JJ stays with me for now. I don't want to be in trouble again. You have to understand I just really want to see Henry."

"I understand." With that being said Emily hung up on the suspect. She turned to the crowd. "Who the fuck thought he was here to rob the damn place?" The mass of men just stared at her silently. She rolled her eyes.

"What's going on Prentiss?" Agent Hotchner asked appearing beside the woman. She was quick to explain who the man was and why he was there. She was also quick to explain her plan.

…

The phone rang a third time and it was really starting to piss Will off as he paced the lobby. "I can't believe you fucking called the cops on me again JJ! I told you it was an accident, Chere! I love you!"

JJ ignored Will's accusation and confession of love. "I'd answer that phone if I was you, Will."

"Shut up JJ!" He paced angrily trying to find a way out of here. "Just tell me where my son is. Tell me where Henry is!"

JJ remained silent as the phone started ringing a third time. Will was beyond annoyed now. "Give me the damn phone, Penelope!" He said to the second teller behind the counter. The short, heavier woman with glasses reached over and picked up the cordless phone and held it out to the angry man. "WHAT?" He answered.

"Sir this is Special Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI…" He didn't have time to listen to their bullshit and he hung up the phone.

The phone rang again. They weren't letting up. "Answer it William," JJ urged her ex-boyfriend.

He did so as he flashed her a glare that could kill her. "I don't want to talk to you, lady!"

"Oh, but I want to talk to you Mr… I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Will! It's Will. What do you want from me, Bitch?"

"Well, Will firstly I want you to use my name. Call me Emily. And I also want you to tell me how in the world you got into this mess."

"I just want my boy!" He yelled in a southern accent. At this point he was waving his gun around aimlessly. JJ looked for a way out of this mess. He wasn't going to hurt again and he sure as hell wasn't going to her her coworkers and Henry in the process.

"Your boy?"

"Yes my SON!" He was on the verge of tears. He really didn't want to be taken away from his son again. That's what they were going to do and he knew it, he knew it.

"That's no reason to show up at Jennifer's work with a gun, Will."

"She hid him from me! Fucking bitch won't tell me where my son is!" JJ didn't react visibly to his shouts of her. Her best friend, Penelope Garcia, sent her a sympathetic look from across the room. She knew Penelope was scared. She gave her friend a look saying 'everything is going to be okay.'

"What's your son's name?"

"She named him Henry. His name is Henry."

"Okay, let's think about Henry for a minute, Will. I don't think Henry would like to see his daddy yelling at his mommy while holding a scary gun, do you?"

There was a long pause. Will knew the woman on the other end of the line was right. He didn't want to scare Henry, but he wanted to get his point across to JJ and now he was stuck in a huge mess."Yeah, he's only two and a half. I don't want to scare him, but I want to see him. Can you just get him for me?"

"You know I can't really do that while you're holding four people in there at gun point."

"What if I let them go, even JJ," he offered lightly. "I just want to meet my boy. Please."

"How about I call my contacts and I call you right back when they go out to find Henry?"

He smiled. He was going to see Henry after all. He knew JJ couldn't keep him from him. "When you call, I'll let three people go, ok? JJ stays with me for now. I don't want to be in trouble again. You have to understand I just really want to see Henry."

"I understand."

The line went dead and Will placed the phone on the counter. "You three," he gestured toward the two bank tells and JJ's boss. "Get ready to leave." He turned to JJ. "You're staying with me until I get my boy back, Chere."


	3. Chapter 3

"I want everyone out of here, Hotch. Leave me the snipers just in case, but everyone on the ground I wasn't out of here."

The tall man looked at her confused. This wasn't a typical tactic. "Are you sure about this, Prentiss?"

She nodded firmly. "I want him to think the cops are gone because they misread the situation. I want one car with you and Derek to pick up the three hostages he's going to release. Be armed just in case something goes wrong. From there I will get him to allow me to enter and lead him to believe I'm taking him to his son."

"Do you think this will work? I mean what if he doesn't release the hostages or something?"

"I guess we'll have to find out, won't we." She flashed a tense smirk. "If he wants his son as badly as I believe he does, he'll comply. Anyway, you'll find Derek in the van at the computers. Go get into position. Spread the word to leave."

'What the fuck are you doing, Emily Elizabeth?' She thought to herself. Emily sighed deeply, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Nervous pacing began as she stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her tight jeans. She watched as one by one law enforcement officers turned to leave. Emily knew her plan had never been used before, but each situation is different and she's quite sure this one will work. Upset with Aaron Hotchner's doubt in her, Emily began to talk to herself. "Get in there, get Jennifer Jareau out of trouble, and bring him in. You got this, Prentiss."

Her phone rang, startling her. She answered via Bluetooth. "Yeah, Prentiss."

"We're all set, Princess," said Derek Morgan.

Emily looked around. She spotted a couple snipers on near by buildings and a car driven by Derek, no one else around. "Okay. Thanks D."

Hanging up on him, she connected with the snipers surrounding her via the ear piece in her left ear. "Hey boys, only shoot when I say the word, got it?"

"Yes Ma'am!" They answered in unison.

With that, Emily was satisfied. She picked up the phone and dialed the bank.

"What's going on out there?" Will LaMontange answered frantically.

"Nothing to worry about, Will. I sent all the officers away, letting them know that you weren't here to rob the bank and it's just a big misunderstanding. I told them I'd stay to help you find Henry."

"Really? Thank you Agent."

"But first, you've got to let those three people go, as you said you would."

There were some whispers and shuffling on the other end of the line. "Yes of course, they are coming out now by themselves. JJ and I are staying in here."

She watched as two women and one man exited the bank quickly. She saw Hotch and Derek grab their attention and get them into the car to take them to get checked out and get their statements. Emily was relieved. Three down, one to go.

"Thank you, Will. My good friend Derek is just going to explain to them what happened and that you didn't want to hurt them."

"Okay. Now what about Henry?"

"Can I come in and talk to Jennifer about letting you see him?"

There was a rather long pause as Will was thinking about this. The seconds that ticked by felt like minutes to Emily. "No guns, Agent."

Emily dumped both her handguns on the ground. "No guns. Can I come in?"

"The door is open." He hung up on her.

The tall brunette FBI Agent sighed aloud for the first time this morning. Slowly, she moved toward the door to the bank. "Here goes nothing," she mumbled to herself as she grabbed the door handle.

…

"Seriously William?" Just let Pen go to the bathroom! You're scaring her and it's not helping the situation," JJ said angrily.

Will frowned. "I'm sorry Penelope. Go to the bathroom, but hurry back so you can leave when that FBI lady calls me again."

Penelope Garcia went to the bathroom and leaned up against the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. She was scared for herself, her best friend, and most of all her little godson, Henry. "Get yourself together Penelope; you have to be strong for JJ." She sighed and turned on the cold water, running her hands under before splashing some of it on her face. The door opened a few minutes later and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jayje!" She exclaimed.

"Come on Pen, time for you to get out of here safely."

"But what about you, Sweet Pea?" The quirky, older woman asked, looking at the small blonde beside her.

JJ gave her friend a small smile. "Don't worry about me Pen. You know last time Will hurt me I beat his ass and had him ready for the cops when they got there. I only suffered two black eyes."

Pushing her glasses back into place, Penelope managed a chuckle. "Yeah you kicked his ass!"

The faint sound of a phone ringing could be heard. "You hear that? The phone just rang which means you are getting out of this mess."

The larger woman pulled JJ into a hug. "Come out of here safely Jayje, or I'll kick your ass myself. Be careful, Sweet Pea." JJ simply nodded. With that the two women reentered the lobby.

"Really? Thank you Agent," Will said his tone of voice lightening up a little.

"But first, you've got to let those three people go, as you said you would," the voice of a woman rang through the speaker on the phone.

"Penelope, David, Mary. You all leave now." Will whispered as he ushered them towards the doorway with his gun. He turned back and spoke up for the woman on the phone to hear. "Yes, of course, they are coming out now by themselves. JJ and I are staying in here."

Everyone was silent for a while. It was the Agent on the line who broke the silence. "Thank you, Will. My good friend Derek is just going to explain to them what happened and that you didn't want to hurt them."

Will looked up at JJ, who now sat patiently, arms crossed, in a chair. "Okay. Now what about Henry?"

"Can I come in and talk to Jennifer about letting you see him?"

There was a rather long pause as Will was thinking about this. He looked from the door to JJ back to the door, debating. "No guns, Agent."

The clink of something hitting the ground could be heard. "No guns. Can I come in?"

"The door is open." He hung up on her and moved across the room to JJ. He quietly sat down across from the blonde, the doorway in his sights. He pointed his gun at JJ. "Just in case she has other plans, Chere." He winked as her heard the door begin to open.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside. She sidestepped, arms up as to show she was unarmed, into the building. William LaMontange was now directly in her view, gun pointed at the blonde woman sitting across from him. He grinned wickedly and greeted her, "Welcome, Agent Prentiss, is it?"

She nodded. "Thanks for letting me come in, Will." She said as she lowered her arms and stepped closer and closer.

The blonde woman turned for the first time to examine the person that had entered the dangerous situation. Emily examined her quickly. The blonde was a beautiful woman, but with her arms crossed and the ill amused look on her face Emily could tell she was fed up with her ex-boyfriend. There was no fear on her face, but yet a pleading look as to say 'please just get him out of here.' The FBI Agent simply made eye contact with baby blues and nodded.

JJ smiled lightly at the gorgeous brunette woman as she nodded. The woman had completely understood her with just a simple glance. Brown eyes looked away from her to Will, but JJ's eyes ran over the brunettes figure. She was tall, slender, and not to mention sexy as hell. A dark red t-shirt fit tightly around big round breasts and clung to her small waist. Dark jeans that showed off an amazing ass covered legs that went on forever until finally reaching a pair of sexy combat boots. JJ wanted to laugh at herself. Here she was, gun pointed at her and she was checking out a woman that was here to arrest her ex-boyfriend. 'What the fuck, Jennifer!' Her brain yelled at her.

"Can you take me to my son now?" Will asked hopefully.

"I have the best people trying to find him now, but no such luck so far. I was hoping you'd let me talk to Jennifer so it won't be so hard."

"Agent, this is JJ."

Emily frowned. "Yes, but can I have a moment with her?"

"Oh." Will also frowned. "Umm.. ok. Yeah sure. I'll be watching from over there." He said, pointing behind the counters as he stood. "Don't do anything stupid." With that he walked over to the tellers' counters and watched the two women intently.

Moving to where Will was in her line of sight, Emily sat and extended her hand. "I'm Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI."

JJ gladly took the woman's soft slender hand in hers and smiled. "Jennifer Jareau."

Emily leaned in and lowered her voice. "I'm not going to get Henry involved in this, I'm simply stalling Will and trying to adjust to this situation to get the gun out of his hands and allow him to think he'll get to see your son."

_Your son. _JJ smiled at those words. All morning Will had been yelling about _his_ son, but to JJ he was no father to _her_ Henry. This woman totally understood. JJ nodded and for the first time in a long time tears threatened to fall. They didn't though. "Okay," she whispered.

Emily saw trust in this woman's eyes. Trust and what was that… was that a hint of lust? Emily internally shook her head. 'Get your shit together Prentiss. Just because she's pretty and she's handling this situation in a fearless manner does not mean you can be attracted to her.'

But those expressive blue eyes were getting to Emily. The eyes and the long blonde hair. Oh and even the tight white button down Jennifer wore, slightly showing off her womanly assets. That black pencil skirt though, showing off long tanned legs leading to tall black heels, is what was doing Emily in. 'Come on Emily, be professional.'

Finally the brunette spoke. "Keep a distance between yourself and Will until I can disarm him. If something seems to be going wrong you run for cover or the door. Do you understand me?"

JJ nodded lightly. "Sorry to bring you into all this."

The agent sighed. "Jennifer, this is not your fault. None of this is your fault. Besides, this is my job. I'm here to help you, a beautiful woman who doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

A smile had shown up on the financial analyst's face, but quickly disappeared at the sound of a man's voice behind her. "What's taking so long?"


End file.
